For the extra fiber and less guilty indulgence! Only brown sugar is used and if you know me, i’m really stingy with my sugar. *wink!*

Pssttt : it’s super good (and addictive!) i tell ya.. the boys, including the husband and my pt helper went berserk! needless to say, so did i.. Had to almost skip my lunch one afternoon because i overdosed on them. Hehehe!

photos taken with phone

Why Orange and Lemon Yogurt Cake?

Friendlier to the waistline but still delishhhh! Something different to serve your guests for sure and the health conscious ones will thank you for it. ;)

HUH? Granola in CNY Hamper?

Why not? :)

Kick start your day with low GI food! Keeps you full for a longer time so that you won’t ‘anyhow‘ eat. Hurhurhur. :P

photo taken by phone

CNY recipe using Maameemoomoo’s granola will be up next! Stay tuned! *excited*

But, why just 6 sets?

Because i cannot cope. The cookies, aren’t ideal to sell due to the ginormous effort needed – I have to bake the granola first, cool and all before i can bake the cookies. The effort is doubled but it’s worth it (too yummy!!), which is why i decided to go ahead and put this up for sale but only in small quantity. And then, the cake, which again, isn’t exactly worth selling if you don’t have a giant oven. Friends do ask, “Are you making any profit at all?!?!”. The truth is, i don’t know. MUaahahahahaa! I really don’t because i don’t calculate and factor in this and that. Like the (baby) sister scolded, “Aiyo! How can?! You ah, anyhow!“.

Please please take note that what you’ll get is not what you see right here.
Why?

Because the real thang will be improvised much and it will be better looking! That, i can promise you. As i worked on the hamper, ideas flowed and noted but it was too late to make any changes unfortunately.

The whole feel of the hamper will be MOD CNY but stilll CNY-ish. I’m really quite Cheena like that. You can not take the Cheena me outtaaa meeee… Heh. In short, it will be tough for you not to love it. ;)

I almost didn’t have a Christmas post this year.. but thank goodness, here it is, a last minute sorta thing, because i’ve got a cup of leftover finger licking good cream cheese frosting from my Fluffy Carrot Cupcakes (click on the link for recipe) just a day before.

I was toying with the idea of making more carrot cuppies since they were quite a hit but in the end, i decided to try my hands on red velvet cake instead.

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour with all other dry ingredients. Add to mixer bowl along with the vinegar and vanilla. Alternate with the milk. Mix to combine.
5. Pour the batter into the cake tin.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

* I used a small loaf cake tin + 7 cupcakes
* for frosting, please refer to the Carrot Cupcakes recipe

Because this is a butter based cake, the recipe isn’t suitable for refrigerating. Only use this recipe if you were gonna devour all of it on the day itself. Alternatively, you could refrigerate but before consuming, please, leave the cake in the room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

When the cake was done, i couldn’t help but to steal one cuppie for tasting.. I LOVE IT! Hee! The sweetness was just right and the cake texture was not dense but fluffy! But do take note that this was when the cake was eaten on the day itself. If you’re thinking to refrigerate the cake, it’s best to use a recipe that uses oil instead of butter.*wink*

Last but not least…

Have a Merry Christmas!!

Because the food wasn’t at all Christmas-sy, i thought of adding something Ho Ho Ho related to put everyone into the mood, just a teeny weeny bit. After combing through most cook books and magazines, Stollen seemed like a perfect choice. Last year, i baked a very memorable Christmas Fruit Cake from Donna Hay’s recipe. Though i did bake that again this year (gonna make that a Christmas tradition!), twice, i was all on the go for something new so, Stollen it was!

Stollen –

“A Stollen is a fruit cake containing dried fruit,and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing sugar. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen.”

1. Warm the milk to approximately 100 degrees. Mix the yeast into the milk and stir into the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and ferment for 1 hour until the sponge is very foamy.

2. While the sponge is fermenting, combine the dried fruit and the liqueur. (i just used one packet of Silver Bird Mixed Fruits & an alkie i am, i soaked them overnight. heheeeee!)

3. When the sponge is ready, combine the remaining flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the sponge, egg, softened butter, and enough water to form a soft but not sticky dough. Stir in the dried fruit and knead in a mixer or by hand for 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic or a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

5. On a floured surface, shape the dough into something like a rectangle, either by rolling it out or pressing it with your hands.

i used almond slivers

6. Place the marzipan or slivered almonds in the center of the loaf. Fold the dough closed and shape the loaf into something resembling a crescent.

7. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for approximately an hour to an hour and a half. While it is rising, preheat the oven (and baking stone, if you use one) to 350 degrees.

8. Remove the stollen from the oven. While still hot, brush the top of the loaf with butter or vegetable oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar.